On January 4th, it will be 16 years since my first breast cancer experience.
It amazes me when I look back on that day when I got a phone call telling me a routine mammography showed something suspicious for breast cancer. How little I knew then about the disease. Two breast cancers and years as an American Cancer Society patient navigator have made me realize that most of us don’t know much about breast cancer until it touches us or a loved one. Why would we? Breast cancer is not exactly a popular topic of conversation among female friends or relatives.
There are those who haven’t had the disease that give to fundraisers or participate in events and run along side of breast cancer survivors. We admire them and secretly pray that supporting them somehow buys a pass on never having to personally know the road they traveled to become survivors.
If you are a survivor, you have a special gift to everyone coming behind you…the gift of hope. Nothing is more reassuring than speaking to a healthy looking, vibrant woman or man who has survived breast cancer. Think about volunteering where breast cancer patients are in treatment, or give talks at senior centers; far to many seniors ignore their breast heath despite the fact that they are the second largest age group to be diagnosed. Most church groups, community centers and women’s groups welcome survivors as speakers. Please, pass it forward!
If you want to raise your awareness or that of others about breast cancer, here is a fresh perspective:
- There are many types of breast cancer. For a list and description of each one go to www.nationalbreastcancer.org/types-of-breast-cancer
- One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her life time ( Source: American Cancer Society)
- Breast cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in U.S. women ( Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
- 70-80% of women who get breast cancer have no family history of the disease ( Source: American Cancer Society)
- 98% of women survive more than 5 years if breast cancer is caught early ( Source: Susan B. Komen)
Breast cancer myths also need to be dispelled. Here are a few that are not true:
- Wearing underwire bras or deodorant causes breast cancer
- Stress causes breast cancer
- Breast cancer jumps from one breast to the other
- Breast cancer is something to be ashamed of
- You are radioactive if you have radiation treatments
- Touching yourself in performing a breast exam is wrong
- Men don’t get breast cancer
- Breast cancer is a punishment from God
Spread the word when you can. There are still so many women, both young and mature women, who don’t know the facts about breast cancer. If you speak a second language and you have the chance to educate women who speak only this language, please do what you can to make them aware of breast cancer. The need is great. I met so many of these women, as a navigator, who sought treatment when their breast cancers were advanced. Sadly, for many, their lack of knowledge often times cost them their lives.
On an up note…because of increased awareness:
- 75% of women in U.S. who are over 40 years old now get mammograms ( Source: Susan B. Komen)
- 2.9 million women in the U.S. are breast cancer survivors (Source: American Cancer Society)
